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Upanishads: Philosophy, Not Religion

From the book Enlightenment Without God By Swami Rama A commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad, which succinctly describes the Om mantra and the four levels of

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, Nov 10, 2005

From the book Enlightenment Without God
By Swami Rama
A commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad, which succinctly describes
the Om mantra and the four levels of consciousness
For more info on Om mantra, see this article:http://www.swamij.com/om.htm

PHILOSOPHY, NOT RELIGION

The Upanishadic literature is not a religious scripture and is free
from dogma and doctrines. It is not a part of any religion but is a
philosophy for all times and for all. This philosophy does not oppose
any school of thought, religion, or interpretation of the scriptures,
but its methods for explaining its concepts are unique. The
Upanishads should not be confused with the religious books of the
East; there is a vast difference between the philosophy of the
Upanishads and the preachings of any of the religious scriptures of
the world. In religion and religious books, there is little
practicality and much theory. One is not supposed to interpret
religious sayings, for there is always the possibility of distortion.
For this reason, their explanation is delegated to a few teachers and
preachers who are considered to be the custodians and authorities on
these scriptures. Common people do not have the opportunity to study
the scriptures in depth, but instead must rely on the interpretations
of such preachers who may show no signs of enlightenment and yet have
influence over the conscience of the masses. Whether these clerics
actually know and practice religious truths or not is never
questioned, and those who do question are considered to be atheists
and heretics. Intellectual bankruptcy such as this leads the masses
to blind faith and causes many wars and divisions in the human race.
For the younger generation today, however, empty religious preachings
are not fulfilling, for the modern mind likes to use reason and logic
before it accepts anything as truth.

With the development of science and technology, there has arisen a
provocative mind that questions the existing religions and their role
in society. The modern mind has started questioning, but the search
for truth still remains obscured because scientific explorations are
directed externally and not toward the inner levels of life. Science
and technology are materially oriented, but a human being is not
matter or energy alone. Most human resources are currently being
directed to matter, mind, and energy, but little effort is being made
toward the expansion and exploration of human consciousness. Modern
psychologists are scratching the surface of mental life in order to
eliminate superficial human problems in the external world, but the
vital questions of life are not yet resolved, for they are beyond the
grasp of materially-oriented thinking.

The Upanishads prepare, inspire, and lead the student to know and
realize the Ultimate Truth. First of all, the philosophy of the
Upanishads frees one to cast away his intellectual slavery to blind
faith, superstitions, sectarian beliefs, and dogmas. Then it helps
one to expand his individual consciousness to Universal
Consciousness; thus one's personality is transformed, and one becomes
a universal being. An individual is essentially Brahman, or identical
to Universal Consciousness, and direct realization of that truth is
called enlightenment. Current religious preachings, on the other
hand, are enveloped in a thick layer of dust, and they need a
complete shakeup. Religion needs modification to suit the needs of
modern man. There seem to be two options for humanity: either it
stops listening to the preachings, starts seeking the truth, and
rejoices in the broader awareness of truthful living; or it continues
to follow religious dogma, fails to attain the next step of
civilization, and remains in ignorance and suffering. Upon careful
analysis of the living and thinking structure of modern human
society, anyone can see that the process of human evolution is in a
state of stagnation. All current research is directed to the external
world; thus the human goal has become materially oriented and
superficial. Human beings today have nothing better to live for than
acquiring many comforts. These may be necessities and means, but
because attaining them lacks a goal or aim, they create a hollow and
empty philosophy that brings only strain and stress.

The preachings of religion make a person dependent on priests,
temples, idols, blind faith, and dogma, and dependence is a habit of
the lower mind. Such crutches may be useful at a certain stage for
some people, but they do not lead one to Ultimate Truth. A dependent
mind is not free, and without freedom, enlightenment is impossible.
Religious dogmas are full of beliefs and myths that do not satisfy
the human intellect and that bind believers to a narrow view of life
and human potential. Such preachings instill more fear than love in
the hearts of the masses. Religion either promises salvation or
threatens the tortures of hell, but it does not provide sound
solutions to the hellish problems and situations that plague human
beings here and now. Nor does it satisfactorily explain life before
birth or after death. One of the main themes of Upanishadic
philosophy, however, is to attain a state of fearlessness,
cheerfulness, and self-confidence. In addition, the Upanishads lead
the student to know life in its totality. Knowledge of life before
birth, knowledge of now, and knowledge of life hereafter can be
realized through the methods given in the Upanishads. The Upanishads
provide systematic methods for self-training, self-transformation,
and self-enlightenment. They lead aspirants "from the unreal to the
Real, from darkness to Light, and from mortality to Immortality."

The founders of religion were selfless and sinceregreat seers,
sages, and spiritual leaders. But as religions grew, the teachings of
the founders were lost, and only the preachings of their selfish
followers remained. Because of this, the great religion of the East
was reduced to the narrow faith and beliefs of Hinduism, Brahmanism,
Buddhism, and Jainism. Practical Christianity also disappeared
forever, and there remained only churchianity. History shows that
religionists do not actually encourage one to follow in the footsteps
of the founder of their religion by practicing his teachings, but,
rather, they instruct their followers to worship the image or the
name of the founder of the religion through priests. Many religious
leaders who claim to know God are more miserable than those they
attempt to lead; they suffer from trite egoism, jealousy, and
selfishness. The light of truth cannot shine through such barriers.
Thus, the blind are leading the blind. The philosophy of the
Upanishads is not bound by a single founder or religion, however, and
it is as applicable today as it was thousands of years ago, and it
will be so for as long as humanity exists.

Religious dogma sets forth rigid commandments presented in terms of
good and bad, black and white, with no explanations to support them.
In the long run, these create serious overreactions and
overcompensations in the human mind. All the books from the different
religions repeat set laws of conduct in the same way, yet each of
these religions claims that it is superior to all the others.
Religious beliefs may offer solace to lower, primitive, less
educated, and uncultivated minds, but they have nothing to offer
those who already know what to do and what not to do, and who are
seeking logical solutions to life's questions and guidance in
learning how to be. In today's so-called civilized I society, the
moral laws preached by the leaders and preachers seem to be
incomplete. Such teachings and preachings are, therefore, misleading
and are a mere waste of time and energy. As long as the preachers,
police, and army have to guard the morality of human beings, this
cannot be considered to be a civilized society. The moral custodians
of today's world are actually atomic weapons, not the laws given in
the religious books of the world. Thus, material forces are guiding
the destiny of human life. Human beings have lost their center of
equilibrium and live without any sense of equality, love, and mutual
understanding. Religions do not teach unity but create divisions in
human society. The Upanishads do not impose commandments, but,
rather, offer practical guidelines and methods for self-discipline
and self-unfoldment. The steps for inner growth contained in the
Upanishads can be incorporated into one's individual lifestyle and
can help one examine the accomplishments of one's spiritual practice
(sâdhanâ).

Religions can be divided into two groups. One group follows the
prophets but does not believe in inner experience. These religions
are actually cults and are full of rituals, fear, guilt, and
fanaticism. The other group of religions has a vast spiritual
literature, but the followers are exploited by priests who involve
them in rituals without explaining their purpose or establishing
their validity. Therefore, both types of religion have been
exploiting humanity and, thus, crippling human efforts to evolve and
attain the next step of civilization in which people will learn to
live with others in mutual understanding and love. The vast majority
of the human population practices religious rituals in some way or
other, but no ritual exists that can eliminate the ignorance that
causes pain and misery.

Religions have two great weapons to conquer the hearts of their
followers: faith and grace. The way faith is described in religious
scriptures is not actually faith at all, but is blind belief based on
ignorance and rigidity of tradition. Tradition and truth are entirely
different. One is mingled with customs, systems, cultures, habits,
thoughts, feelings, and desires, and the latter is a search for the
Ultimate Reality. For attaining truth, everything the aspirant has,
including thoughts, deeds, and speech, becomes a means for attaining
truth; while in tradition, all means are used for the sake of
convenience, pleasure, and gratification. Religionists and their
faithful followers are afraid to analyze the very nature of their
faith. Thus, one is lost in a morass of religious fanaticism. Faith
that does not recognize the faculty of reasoning and that has not
been filtered by reasoning is based on blind beliefs that remain
unexamined. They thus unnecessarily create doubts, and when doubts
are not resolved, such faith disappears. Blind faith, being empty and
devoid of any real reason or fact, is often found wanting when one
has a problem and expects to find a strong basis that will support
and carry him through difficult times. Then one finds, instead,
nothing to hold on to or anchor oneself to. Because of this weakness
in religious faith, religious dogma says that faith is a gift from
God, and that if one questions it, then it might vanish and be lost.
True faith is supported by pure reason, which is attained through
thoughtful analysis of life. Following the extended practice of
sâdhanâ and purification, a few fortunate seekers realize and know
the nature of the world as it is and also experience the all-
pervading truth that enlightens the' dark chamber of the aspirant's
heart.

The Upanishads say that to rise above and reach a state beyond and to
know the real nature of the transitory world, one must cultivate
logic and pure reason and make sincere efforts with the help of deep
contemplation. They declare, "Only that which is good and auspicious
in Upanishadic literature should be revered and brought into
practice, and the rest should be left behind for further
introspection."

In religions, grace is considered to be a gift bestowed on the
seeker, either as a reward for following the commandments or by mere
whim. Thus, the bestowing of blessings serves as a bribe to make one
conform, and it implies that the seeker is helpless to succeed by his
own effort. There is often little sense of individual mastery but
rather a reliance on the favors of fate or the judgments of the
preachers. Fear and insecurity are the logical results.

Today religion has degenerated so much that it has become totally
materialistic. No matter how good a heart one has, if one is not on
the list of followers and supporters of the church, then one's faith
does not have any value in the eyes of religionists. Religious
leaders and preachers who claim to be custodians of faith and grace
sell faith to blind followers for wealth and favors, and, thus,
religious materialism takes the place of spiritual sincerity.

Various schools of theology argue over the semantics and meaning of
the verses and parables of religious scriptures and never reach any
shared interpretation. In order to confront the question of life, one
must remain unaffected by religious dogma, doctrines, and
superstition, and one must make use of one's finest instrument, the
intellect. The Upanishads do not encourage students to depend on the
sayings of the scriptures; rather they inspire them to be self-
reliant and discriminating. Religious dogma encourages people to
follow the canons of a particular sectarian belief that is limited to
a specific group. Thus, instead of expanding universal brotherhood,
it further divides humanity and pollutes human feelings with biases
and prejudice. Upanishadic philosophy is the expression of supreme
knowledge directly experienced by great sages and is not confined to
caste, color, society, or nation.

Today the world lives under the law of fear, trembling with doubts
and uncertainty. No prophet of the law of love is to be found, and
one finds no leaders who give object lessons, sympathy, and good
will, and who identify with the true happiness of individuals and
nations and the highest good of mankind. Many religious leaders
exist, but it is amazing to note how tired and confused they
are. "Rise, awake, and gain knowledge"this Upanishad declares that
one should not act like a gigantic inert person who is dumb and
desolate, who knows not the meaning of life and the universe. All
human beings have the essential potentialities to understand and
direct their life streams toward the ocean of bliss. The message of
Upanishadic philosophy extends good will to the whole of humanity,
saying, "Let all of mankind be happy; let all of humanity attain
physical, mental, and spiritual health; let all receive and enjoy
auspiciousness; let no one experience pain and misery here and
hereafter."